Kings & Pearls
Elvis died 22 years ago
if that is indeed true
I was 5 years old
up in my neighbor's fort
towering above our yards
someone climbed up to tell us
that Elvis had died
and I remember I was sad
because I knew how much my parents liked him
and that my father had a resemblance to the king
in his own younger days
and I mean the '68 Elvis
before Las Vegas, before scarves and high collars,
before sightings in Louisiana diners & New York subways,
I mean the "That's Alright, Mama" Elvis
rebel, hip-swinging, long hair,
easy smile, Priscilla-loving man
all of this I've learned since he died
22 years ago
but it feels like I knew him
the way I AM Janis
walking down an LA street in October
after "Buried Alive" and Barney's Beanery
I will not die tonight
sidewalk's dirty but my feet don't care
my lips are cold from beer
then there's that void
between the cigarette machine
& the hotel room where they found her
it is a void darker than desert midnight
no one knows
but me
she wasn't done
because every time I listen
there is a pure calling that I answer
that I try everyday to understand
the way millions flock to Graceland
country road innocence
of hitchhiking
and ice cream cones
whiseky guilt
of trains
and midnight
©2000 Lizzie Wann. All rights reserved